Freedom is Choice
by Light1
Summary: A young Integra shows Alucard a diffrent kind of freedom.


**Freedom is Choice**

Disclaimer: Hellsing belongs people who are not me. I am making £0.00 out of this fic, it is written purely because I have a burning need to create. Although I would like to own Alucard . . . then he'd be mine.

Rating: PG

Authoress note: A young Integra nearly gives Alucard his freedom.

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**Freedom is Choice**

He watched the doctors leave from the shadows. They muttered to each other as they walked and he drew back as they neared him. Swathing himself in darkness he let out a low growl as they past him. One of the doctors paused and turned around, but she did not see him. His teeth clacked together, an impotent warning to them. The doctor turned and walked faster to rejoin her colleagues. He followed them, watching them, as they walked down the stairs into the front foyer. They stopped when one of the few remaining servants approached them, Alucard snarled louder than before.

"Mr Dixon has started vomiting," the servant said.

"Clearly the vaccination came to late for him," one of the doctors said.

"Keep him in bed, fluids regularly and give him the antibiotics," the female doctor said.

"One twice a day," the servant said slowly. "You don't want to take him to hospital, like the others?"

"No, only if the fever goes above 102," the first doctor said. The servant nodded and Alucard growled again urging the doctors to step out of the mansion.

"Why bother?" Walter said as he approached, "you hide in shadows knowing full well they cannot see you, you snarl but do it so quietly I can barely hear you and I'm right next to you." Alucard glanced at the aged butler, he knew Walter could not see him either, the old human had a talent for sensing him when no other could, but even he wasn't perfect. Just out of spite alucard let his shadows thin just enough to let Walter know he was standing a little too far to the left.

"Not what you once were," he smirked.

"Stop being petty," Walter said. "Just because I point out your cowardice does not mean you should point out my shortcomings."

"It is not cowardice." Alucard muttered "I am simply aware of the limitations put on me by the seal and how doctors have taken advantage of that in the past." Walter looked like he would say something but closed his mouth before he spoke. It was an awkward silence, Walter knew all to well what he had suffered at the hands of doctors less than thirty years ago.

"I have a favor to ask you, Vampire," Walter said after a few more moments of silence. Alucard looked at him knowing all Walter could see of him were eyes in the blackness. Not many people could hold a conversation with him when he was thus, Walter was one of the few who could manage. "I want them to take her to the hospital, her fever is almost at 100. I cannot risk it going higher."

"You want to take her to a place filled with Doctors," Alucard could not keep the hiss from his voice.

"Doctors will not torture her, they will keep her alive."

"She will not die," Alucard said

"She is a child and she works all hours that god sends. She was exhausted before the virus touched her." Walter snapped. "Her body is not strong enough to fight it." Alucard stared at him, Walter did not blink. "you know I am right, Vampire."

"What do you want me to do about it?" Alucard said.

"Distract her, she fights me on this the way she fought me when I tried to get her to take to her bed, and when I took the papers she had taken to bed away from her." Alucard chuckled remembering the way his diminutive master had finally agreed to rest, Walter had looked so relieved until he saw her collecting the reports to take with her.

"You are her legal guardian no?" Alucard said "under the law surely you have control of her."

"Say that again and listen to yourself," Walter said. Alucard laughed loud enough to draw the attention of the doctors.

"Very well," he said "I will 'distract' our little master." He retreated completely into shadow as Walter hailed the doctors. Moving through shadow was smooth and easy, propelled forward with an effort of will rather than a physical effort. He visualized where he wanted to be and it was so. He let himself appear outside the bedroom that had belonged to all the masters.

The doors loamed before him and he could not help the internal flinch that ran through him. He snarled at himself and his own weakness, that even knowing a tiny child waited behind those doors he still flinched at the thought of master. Abraham had really done a number on him.

Behind the doors sat his master, diminutive and sick, her body failing her. This could kill her, had she been born even fifty or sixty years ago chances were strong this would kill her. Even today with modern medicine and her own stubbornness this virus could claim her life. He should be happy; he knew this was what he should be feeling. He had been held and tormented by this family for longer than he cared to remember. Years of servitude, years of abuse both verbal and physical could be ending very soon. He should be overjoyed, he should be turning cartwheels in the hallways.

But he was not happy.

He was worried and he was angry at himself for feeling thus. When Integra had first fallen ill he had thought it was the seal that caused him to feel this concern. Since then he had come to terms with the fact that that was not true. If he had been there when Arthur had died he would have been dancing on the ceiling, but now all he felt was fear. Walters talk of hospitals was starting to make sense. But Alucard did not want her to leave, he didn't want to sit in a hospital waiting for his master to die.

Forcing himself calm he pushed forwards, for a moment the wood of the doors resisted him, then like water they parted around him. He pushed through the wood silently and she did not notice him emerge. He was granted a rare moment of watching her, she looked very small in the king bed, covered in blankets and hooked up to the IV.

"You look awful," he said at last. Integra looked at him, her eyes focusing slowly and she made a face.

"Are the doctors really gone?" she asked after a few moments, talking was obviously difficult for her but she seemed determined not to look weak.

"Yes, although I think you and I are the only ones who are happy about that."

"We should have got you vaccinated as well," Integra said, Alucard raised an eyebrow.

"I do not get sick little master." Alucard said before sneezing. Integra raised an eyebrow and Alucard rolled his eyes.

"The smell in here is disturbingly strong, its making my eyes water," he said.

"I can't smell anything." Integra said.

"It reeks of that awful goop they use to kill germs. The medicine they have dripping into you stinks of bleach," he said. Integra shrugged at his words and started coughing again.

"Why don't you get sick?" Integra said when the coughing fit had passed. Alucard blinked thinking the question a stupid one.

"I am dead my master," he said plainly. "A virus will attack living tissue, living cells, all things that are alive. They move in the blood and the blood is moved by the heart, my heart ceased to beat decades ago."

"They move in the blood." Integra repeated, "So what if you were to eat a person with a virus." Alucard smiled wider.

"It would depend on the strength of the illness the mortal suffered from. A cold wouldn't do anything, but something more terminal might make me a little sick."

"So you do get sick," Integra looked triumphant

"More like food poisoning than actual illness." Alucard said "once my body had expelled the bad blood I would be fine again."

"You sound like you talk from experience." Integra smiled and it made him flinch at the gauntness of her face.

"Yes well, I wasn't born this clever." Alucard sat on the bed next to her. Integra laughed which brought on yet more coughing and he stood as if to walk away, Integra grabbed at him but missed. He looked down at her and lifted an eyebrow in question.

"Um …" was all she said, to proud to ask him to stay. He smiled picking the want from her mind but continued to walk away. He moved to the small table by the door and lifted a bottle filled with small blue pills.

"I'm not leaving," he muttered, turning the bottle over in his hands. Integra smiled again when her vampire couldn't open the child safety cap. Eventually he reached through the glass and pulled out a pill, he poured a small glass of water and walked back.

"Eat," he said simply, Integra made a face. "The water might help the coughing if nothing else."

"I'll bring it back up, she said "I stopped taking pills days ago, everything's on the drip now." He pushed the glass closer. "You want me to OD don't you," she said.

"Yup," Alucard said as she took to little pill and a sip of water.

"I think you are supposed to sleep."

"That's why you gave me the sleeping pill," she muttered settling down into the bed. "Vampire?" she asked, Alucard made a small sound "don't let Walter take me to hospital. I know he wants to."

"He worries for you," Alucard said, Integra sighed but said nothing. He watched her for a moment before looking into her mind as she lay still waiting for the drug to make her sleep, and he winced at what he found there. She knew she might die from this, from this stupid virus and she wanted to do so at home, just like her father had.

"I wont make it an order," she said "but I do not want to go to hospital."He said nothing and sat perfectly still waiting for her to sleep.

It was utterly ridiculous that she could die like this.

She was something different from the others, she disserved a death that would be wrote about in books and sung about for years to come. Other Hellsing's could die in bed for they were only masters in title, this child was more a true master than any who had come after Abraham. She could not die in bed, she should be on her feet, and she should be fighting.

Absently he reached out to touch her and pulled back sharply. She was burning hot to the touch. Her fever was getting worse; it would kill her, burning her up from the inside. She needed cooling down. He had heard that when people burn up, cold water helps; he had a faded memory of having a fever when a child and his mother's maid had put him in a bathtub full of cold water. It had been bloody awful, but soothing at the same time.

He was frigid to the touch, he always was unless he ate well and that was a rarity. His coat faded as did his waist coat and boots. His shirt was thin and he could feel her burning though the thin fabric as he clambered into the bed next to her careful of the IV. Curling around her, hoping his body temperature would lower hers, he closed his eyes and prepared for a long night.

"What are you doing?" her voice made him jump, opening his eyes he lifted his head to look at her.

"You are very hot little master," he said waiting to be told to leave. "I am not." Integra sighed and instead of snapping at him, pressed closer.

"Thank you," she said after a few silent moments and curled closer, her movement pulling the IV. "You better not get used to this." She mumbled half asleep "you have your own box to sleep in."

"I wont, my master," he smiled.

Ten years later he still sometimes slept next to her.

**End ficlet**

Authoress note: Hope you all liked it!

Please review.


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